Buying a Golf Cart

When thinking about buying a golf car, there are number of things to consider. Do you want to go with a new or used model? What size of seating and storage capacity do you want? Where do you plan on using the cart? All of these factors and more should be considered when trying to find the right golf cart for you.

Location, Location, Location

Before you even start pricing golf carts, you should consider where you plan to use it. Not everyone lives on a course, and odds are that the police would wouldn’t like you using the cart to commute on the highway from your home to the driving range.

The first thing you should look at is if the club you belong to, or your favorite course even allows private carts. Many courses only let their own carts on the grass, and those are driven by caddies and groundskeepers. However, if the place you play at lets you bring your own private golf cart, keep reading.

Where are you going to keep it?

This isn’t just a nagging question posed by people opposed to your decision to buy a golf cart, but rather a very legitimate point of consideration. If you are buying a golf cart, it would be best to check if your favorite course or private club will allow you to keep it there, and how much it will cost for the storage. If you cannot store your cart at the course, you are going to have to figure out if it is going to stay in your garage, a shed of its own, or out in the yard with a plastic tarp thrown over it. If you end up having to store your golf cart n your property, you might also consider a trailer or something that can hitch to your primary vehicle so you can get the cart from your home to the green, and back again.

Set A Price Range

Just like when you are scouting out to purchase a car, you should set a price limit for yourself. Since golf carts can go as high as $10,000 or more, you might want to look at your budget and give yourself a low and high end range to stay within when pricing a cart for yourself.

New Versus Use

A brand new golf cart – depending on its seating capacity, other bells and whistles, and general design, and start out at $4,000. This might be too steep of an investment, so it might not hurt to check on-line and local ads for used golf carts, as this can end up saving you a lot of money

Kick The Tires

New or used, golf carts are a financial investment, so you want to make sure you are getting your money’s worth. Check underneath the carriage for oil leaks or frayed electrical wires. Take the golf cart out for a test drive to make sure it handles smoothly and turns easily. See if the seating is comfortable, because you are going to be driving it on the course every time you play, and the last thing you want is a seat that’s going to make you uncomfortable on long game days. Load up the cart with your equipment, to check if it can haul everything with ease, or if it slows to a crawl. Also, you want to check the brakes. You want your golf cart to stop when you press the brake pedal, and not slide all over the place.

Gas Or Electric?

Fewer golf carts are being made with gas engines these days, as most companies are making the switch to the more environmentally-friendly electric motors. When buying a new golf cart (or especially a used one), you should check to see if it runs on gas or electricity, how much power you can get out of it, and if your needs a special octane of fuel, or a special charging station if you go electric. You might also check with your favorite course or golf club to see if they allow the gas models on the green.

Service

One last thing to consider when shopping around for a golf cart, and that is if there are places or people near you who can help you repair and maintain your golf cart to keep it in working order. You obviously cannot just take your golf cart to the local autobody shop and have them change the oil, nor can you just pick up golf cart wheels at any department store. If you can’t find anyone in your area who knows about golf cart maintenance and repair, you can find a number of groups on-line and get the manuals for your cart so you can take care of it yourself.

Now that you have a good overview of what to look for, you can go out there and find the golf cart that is perfect for you so you can ride around on the green in comfort and style.